


Perseverance: Rediscovery

by AttackPlatypus



Series: The Perseverance-verse [2]
Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 09:11:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20423492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AttackPlatypus/pseuds/AttackPlatypus
Summary: Set six months after the events of 'Perseverance', Bayley Martinez has moved in with her girlfriend Sasha Banks. What does life has in store for them?





	Perseverance: Rediscovery

“Oh...my...god…”

Bayley’s chest was heaving as she turned her head to look over at where Sasha was lying next to her. The early morning California sun was filling Sasha’s palatial bedroom as it flooded in over the ocean far below. Despite having to catch her breath, Bayley couldn’t keep a smile off her face.

Sasha, for her part, was also panting as she lay face down on the bed with her eyes still wide. Her expression was that of a person who was struggling to comprehend something that had just happened to them. Something wonderful, but that had also caught her off guard.

“I thought ...I was the athlete…” Sasha huffed as she rolled onto her side to gape over at her girlfriend in amazement. Bayley just smiled in a way that perfectly blended beatific joy with a touch of smugness.

“You are...but I’m just damn good,” she teased as she scooted toward Sasha and let the other woman wrap her up in her arms.

“I mean...yeah…” was all Sasha could say at first as she stroked Bayley’s hair and then kissed her forehead. “You’ve learned some new things since before.”

Bayley giggled. “Don’t you forget it,” she said with a wink that Sasha couldn’t see. 

Bayley and Sasha had recently taken the huge step of moving in together. Or rather, Bayley had moved in with Sasha. When the choice was between Bayley’s notionally two-bedroom apartment or Sasha’s 87 million dollar oceanside mansion...there hadn’t really been much of a choice. The building was stunning, with gorgeous modern lines and huge windows facing the ocean. Sasha had a four-car garage, a swimming pool, an infinity pool, a huge deck, and an in-home theater. 

Of course, as wealthy as Sasha had become off her winnings in the BFA, they wouldn’t have been nearly enough to cover the purchase price of the house, never mind its upkeep. But then she’d inked her endorsement deal with Nike and a second, newer, and larger deal with Clex’s. She’d also been privileged enough to have made an acquaintance of the actor Aye Hunter, who had been looking to move back to his native UK quickly and so had sold her the place at a loss.

It was beautiful, it was a dream home. Or it had possessed the potential to be one, As Sasha had been forced to learn in the hardest way...a house wasn’t much of a home when it was just her. For it to be a dream home she needed Bayley there. And now here she was. Sasha had almost everything she’d ever wanted.

Sasha smiled at this thought as she gave Bayley another squeeze. “So what are you doing today?” she asked her girlfriend. 

Bayley adjusted herself so she could rest her head on Sasha’s shoulder and thought for a while. “I have that screen test for ESPN in a few days so I was going to ask Alexa to help me pick out some outfits, then I want to get an article up before the end of the week, but not much beyond that. Figured I’d try to do some unpacking.”

“You want some help?” Sasha asked as she ran her fingertips lazily down Bayley’s arm. 

“No, I’m OK. I know you need to train, Meng isn’t going to let you play hooky again,” Bayley teased. Sasha frowned.

“I can take as much time off as I want, I don’t have another fight scheduled. Besides...everything I want is here,” Sasha said as she turned Bayley’s face and kissed her. Bayley smiled into the kiss and let it linger for a few moments before pulling back.

“Sash, you know I love you. But if you miss another day you know he’ll drive his car through the front wall,” Bayley said with a grin. Sasha snorted at first but then as more time passed she was imagining just how much that would cost to fix. And just who her trainer was.

“You’re right...I better go in,” she said as she sighed.

“Good call...my stuff is still in front of the door,” Bayley said as she patted Sasha’s arm.

\----------

“You know, for someone who can only cook one thing, you make a pretty good personal chef… but you do make a damned mess of things...” Bayley said later. She was sitting on the center island in Sasha’s kitchen smiling happily over the remains of the blueberry banana pancakes and staring at the surprising amount of mess that had been created. Sasha had just made them both breakfast. She’d done this in nothing but a t-shirt and her underwear as well...which hadn’t exactly hurt Bayley’s mood. 

“You’re welcome, smartass,” Sasha said as she proceeded to dump dishes and cookware into her bathtub like sink. 

“Hey! You could at least soak them, I’m washing those later!” Bayley said as she nodded at the dishes.

“What?”

“It’s easier to clean them if you soak them.”

“Why are you cleaning them at all?” Sasha asked, puzzled. “You know I have people who clean right?” she asked.

“I noticed…” Bayley said with an eye roll “...But that doesn’t mean we need to live like slobs.”

“But that’s literally their job, why should I pay them if we’re going to do the cleaning?” Sasha countered. To her mild annoyance, Bayley just snorted at this as she stood and grabbed their plates and brought them over to the sink before she hip bumped Sasha aside. 

“WE? I think I’ve been the only one who has been doing the cleaning for the last few days,” she said with a laugh. Sasha opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again. She was here, so was Bayley, they were here together and that was all she’d wanted for so long. So if Bayley wanted to clean then Sasha would let her. 

So she settled for kissing Bayley’s cheek. “I’m going to grab my stuff and go see that dusty old bastard. I’ll see you later?” 

“I’ll be here!” Bayley said happily.

As Sasha began to leave she gave a small jump as she felt a quick smack on her butt. Turning around with an expression of amused incredulity she found Bayley smirking at her. After a moment, Sasha returned the look with a raised eyebrow. 

“You better be.”

\----------

“So, how's the misses?” Meng asked as he held the punch pads out in front of Sasha.

“Do you really care if-” Sasha started to ask when she suddenly went staggering sideways. Meng had just thumped her on the shoulder with one of the pads hard enough that she knew she’d have a bruise later. “What the hell?” she demanded.

“Pay attention dip shit,” Meng said with a shrug.

“You asked the god damn-” Sasha cut herself off again as she ducked under a sweeping right hook before leaping backward out of the way of the followup. Glaring at Meng she repeated herself. “You asked the goddamn question you jackass!”

Meng shrugged as he held the pads up again. Sasha stepped forward once more and began throwing punches and elbows into the pads. Sasha actually found this relaxing in the way some people did spa visits. Here was something she was truly great at, throwing fists. Her hands moved so quickly that they could appear like mere discolorations in the air if you weren’t concentrating.

Sasha’s loss to Becky Lynch had affected her in surprising ways, to no one more than Sasha. She would have expected to be absolutely devastated, for her whole life to come to a tire-smoking halt as a result. Sasha Banks defined herself as a fighter, it was who she was in her soul. Losing the biggest fight of her life HAD to destroy her, didn’t it?

Turned out, the answer was no.

Not that Sasha hadn’t been disappointed, far beyond it in fact. She and Lynch had clashed for a full five rounds, neither of them giving an inch. In the end, both had still been on their feet and forced to wait through the excruciating minutes of deliberation from the scorers. They’d done this while standing on a mat stained with their sweat and blood. When the announcement had been made, Sasha had almost fainted. She couldn’t believe it at that moment, she’d lost.

She’d sort of just drifted through the rest of the night, not fully aware of what she was doing. She couldn’t even really recall what had happened, though she’d been present. Her memory only really began again about an hour after the fight itself. When Meng had taken her face in his massive hands and spoken to her in a loud and clear voice.

“You left everything out there tonight, Banks. I’m proud of you.”

Somehow this had cut through her funk. She wasn’t back yet, but it was as though she had a tenuous connection with the rest of the world now, as though through a spy hole. She’d been able to walk by herself to the trainer's room where she’d sat silently. Silently until the door banged open and Bayley and stepped inside. The reporter had regarded her with horror, as well she might when confronted with a body as battered as Sasha’s was.

“Hey…” was all Bayley had managed.

“Hey…” Sasha had grunted through the pain. She’d felt a fresh wave of agony as Bayley lunged at her, wrapping her in a hug. Despite this, Sasha had gutted it out, knowing that she’d endure far worse pain to be this close to Bayley again. 

Meng let this go on for a few seconds before he cleared his throat. “Ms. Martinez, we really should let the trainers look at her.”

The following weeks of recovery had been very tough on Sasha. But again, not as tough as she’d thought they might be. She’d hated doing the media rounds and hated being locked out of the ring under a medical suspension. But she’d had Bayley with her, and that made all the difference in the world. 

Their relationship had been complicated. They weren’t together, not like they had been. But Bayley had spent most of her days with Sasha, helping wherever she could. She’d run errands, she’d helped Sasha around in the days immediately after the fight, she’d even taken on a role as unofficial press liaison for Sasha. All while putting her own career on a brief pause. As helpful, and touching, as this had been it hadn’t been the best part for Sasha. That had been the conversations.

Bayley’s job allowed her to work when and where she wanted. Sasha had been handed a tremendous amount of enforced downtime. And so, they’d talked. How they had talked. Hours and hours of conversation.

Some of this had been very uncomfortable for Sasha. She’d refused to let her injuries shield her from discussing the worst things she’d done to Bayley. She hadn’t always been able to give ‘good’ answers, but she’d always given honest ones. For her part, Bayley had asked the tough questions, ever the journalist. Sasha was now of the opinion that these particular conversations were the most valuable she’d ever had.

But they’d talked about more than Sasha’s bad behavior. They’d talked about everything. Sasha had thought she’d known Bayley when they were first together, but now she knew she’d only ever scratched the surface. Under the bubbly smiles and the side pony was an incisive intellect and a depth of character that could actually intimidate Sasha. And she found this fascinating.

Back in the present, Meng called a halt to her work out. “Get over to the heavy bags, I’ll come to check on you in a bit. Try not to fuck around more than you usually do,” he grunted as he left the ring. Sasha gave his back a nasty look but she did the same and walked over to the bags. She was actually grateful for the change because it was a workout she could zone out while doing. 

She had an evening to plan.

\----------

Bayley was sitting on the lower level of Sasha’s home. Specifically, she was sitting cross-legged with her laptop on the hardwood floor of a sitting area. Her tongue was between her teeth and she was working to finish up an article about Erik Rowan’s upcoming title defense. It definitely wasn’t the most comfortable place in the house, but it was where she was most comfortable.

The distinction was hard to explain but it was an important one to her.

Just a short walk to her left was a three-room office suite that Sasha never used. Bayley gathered her girlfriend had intended to (hopefully) someday run a business empire from the rooms. But it turned out Sasha actually preferred to work in her study on the third floor. Sasha had offered the rooms to Bayley now that she was living there but Bayley was hesitating.

Some of this was simply the perfectly natural jitters of just having moved in with her girlfriend. But there was more to it than that. Some of it was that Bayley had spent years working hard to earn her place in the world, and now things were just being handed to her. But more than that, it was the fact that the rooms, and the house, still felt a bit...alien.

They weren’t hers. She felt more like a guest in Sasha’s home, rather than an equal partner in ‘their’ home. She knew, or at least hoped, that this feeling would pass with time. But that did nothing for her now. 

She still walked around the place as a visitor would. Admiring things, but not really partaking in them. She was still hesitant to touch certain items or even go in some rooms. This was hardly the way one of the home’s residents should act. But Bayley couldn’t help it. She just...hoped that she would someday feel as at home in the house as she did with Sasha.

And it would be great if she could get over it before Sasha really noticed.

Bayley had a superstitious dread of doing anything careless as a co-habitant that might endanger her relationship. She had, after all, suffered a great deal to finally be here where she wanted to be. But this was making her tense and changing her usual patterns of behavior. Bayley’s old apartment had been, as her friend Charlotte had observed, kind of a dump. Not that the building itself wasn’t great but Bayley was a slob, no two ways about it.

But this very morning she’d been lecturing Sasha about the need to do the dishes…

Where the hell had that come from?

Sighing audibly, Bayley adjusted her earbuds and tried to re-focus. She’d been lucky that Alexa had been in town to see a new client and even luckier that the blonde dynamo had been able to make some time for her. Bayley had the biggest job interview of her life coming up in just a few days and she had to look her best.

After many meetings and phone calls, AJ Styles had succeeded in getting Bayley a trial run as the new host of ‘The Rose Report’. The combat sports show had been in the care of a series of guest hosts since Mandy Rose had been let go from ESPN. There was even talk of canceling it, but AJ had managed to win his point. Now it was all on Bayley to come through.

If she pulled it off, she would be hosting a daily sports show on ESPN. She wanted this, oh how she wanted this. It would represent the highest validation she could achieve for the years of hard work she’d put in on MMAyley.com. It wasn’t as though she didn’t know how to do TV, and she knew the subject matter as well as anyone in the world. More than this, she’d gotten style advice from the best PR agent there was.

She just needed to get out of her own head about the damned house. 

Bayley was still working away on content for her site when she suddenly felt the touch of another’s hair on the back of her neck. A moment later Sasha’s familiar scent made her smile before an equally familiar set of lips pressed behind her ear. 

“Hey you,” Sasha purred into Bayley’s ear. Bayley smiled and let her eyes close as Sasha kissed her over and over again. She let this go on until she knew if she didn’t speak up she never would.

“Hey yourself, how was training?” she asked as she removed her earbuds and scooted around to face Sasha.

“It was OK, same old shit. Meng says hi, by the way,” Sasha said as she sat on the floor across from Bayley.

“Oh yeah? Somehow I think he didn’t phrase it that way,” Bayley joked. She was beginning to feel a little silly about sitting here on the floor. But she did her best to cover it. Unfortunately, it seemed like Sasha was headed for that topic independently.

“Why are you sitting out here?” Sasha asked as she waved at the floor. “There’s an office right over there.”

Bayley thought for a moment before she deflected. “Oh, you know, different location different thought processes. Or at least that’s the hope.” For a moment, Bayley wasn’t sure that she’d convinced Sasha as a hard to read look flickered on the fighter's face. But it was gone quickly so Bayley wondered if she’d imagined it.

“Well, I hope you’re not worn out because I got something special planned for you,” Sasha said as she stood and offered Bayley her hand. 

“Really? You’re going to spoil me,” Bayley said with a grin as she let Sasha pull her up. It was true, Sasha had been doing ‘something special’ for Bayley every single night since Bayley had moved in a little over a week ago. 

It really was like living in a fairytale. Whenever Sasha was here, Bayley’s unease about her living arrangements melted away. Further adding to this feeling was the fact that Sasha had dazzled her with a series of amazing dinners cooked by private chefs, which they enjoyed outside. The breathtaking ocean vista providing a perfect setting for the meals. And the meals were just the start.

One night, Sasha had hired a string quartet to serenade them. Another time she’d arranged for a private fireworks display over the water. There had been gifts of all kinds (Bayley had received more jewelry in the last week than she’d accumulated over the rest of her life) and as much romance as Bayley could hope for. Their most low key night had featured a private screening of the live-action adaptation of “Lilo and Stitch” in Sasha’s home theater. The film hadn’t even been released yet.

It was magical, it was like living in perpetual vacation. And, Bayley realized as she let Sasha kiss her, it was part of the problem. Being here felt like a vacation, not like simple living. But how do you tell someone who was going above and beyond to be romantic for you that you wished they’d tone it down? 

Maybe the fault was with her? Who couldn’t be fully happy in a situation like this?

“Yeah I…” and here Sasha actually looked a bit sheepish, which was rare enough that it snapped Bayley out of her own reverie. “I was...uh...thinking I could cook something for you?” Sasha finally said. Bayley’s face must have betrayed some surprise because she quickly added: “If you don’t like it we can always order something.”

Bayley smiled. Sasha’s almost apologetic attitude toward her more touching gestures always touched Bayley’s heart deeply. “I’m sure it will be great,” she reassured her girlfriend.

\----------

Sasha was almost ready to throw her pots and pans over the railing on her deck and down into the ocean below. Everything was going wrong and it was all her fault. 

Sasha had tried so hard to follow the instructions she’d memorized for the meal. She’d been meticulous, triple checking everything. And it hadn’t mattered. Her Jambalaya had come out as a congealed and slightly burnt blob. Making things worse, Bayley had been nothing but supportive. 

Sasha had watched her girlfriend heroically takedown a whole bowl of the mess. But she’d also noticed the subtle signs that Bayley was fighting hard to keep her smile on her face. And with each bite Bayley took, Sasha’s guilt had risen. She couldn’t even cook a simple meal for Bayley, this amazing woman in her life. What did that mean down the road?

Sasha had had Bayley once before, and she’d let her slip through her fingers. No, that wasn’t right. She’d cast this priceless treasure away from her in a tantrum. Then she’d spent months doing her best to try and ensure that Bayley never came back. All while wishing she would. Sasha knew she didn’t deserve Bayley or her forgiveness, but she had it. And she was determined to try and be worthy of it someday.

But she was screwing it all up.

“I’m sorry...I...I don’t know what went wrong,” Sasha said, for the third time, as she helped Bayley clear up the dishes. She was so distracted that she forgot to wonder at this new aspect of Bayley’s character. When they’d first been together Bayley had been something of a slob, now she was a neat freak?

“It’s OK, Sasha. It wasn’t that bad,” Bayley told her with a reassuring smile. Sasha smiled back but she knew something was off. She could feel that Bayley was uneasy about something. She’d known it since her girlfriend had officially moved in.

Sasha could no longer imagine her life without Bayley so she was desperate to prove to the other woman she had changed. To show Bayley that she was the kind of woman that the reporter could spend her life with. But it was getting harder and harder to think of grand gestures that she could make. And this made things so much worse. How could she already be running out of ways to show Bayley how much she loved her?

  
What was wrong with her?

The woman who did deserve Bayley would never have this problem. She would be able to show Bayley each and every day how important she was. It had been so much easier when they’d lived apart. Sasha had plenty of time between occasions to think of new ideas. She’d wanted Bayley to move in more than she’d ever wanted anything, at least at the time. Now she was wondering if she’d been stupid and selfish.

Sasha tried to keep her inner turmoil hidden throughout the rest of the night. She and Bayley cuddled while they watched a movie in Sasha’s home theater. Sasha barely registered what was on the screen, she was so caught up in her own thoughts. She only really snapped out of this funk when the show ended and Bayley nudged her.

“Hey, what are you thinking about so hard in there?” Bayley asked as she tapped Sasha’s forehead once.

Sasha had been wondering how she could possibly get out of her present predicament with her happiness intact. Wondering this and fighting against the rising tide of panic as she realized she didn’t have an answer. Now, confronted with a question she wasn’t sure she could answer...she panicked.

“About how damn sexy you are…” She purred as she pulled Bayley’s face to hers and kissed her. Bayley did look perfect to Sasha, she always did, but Sasha felt guilty about this. Even as she pulled Bayley by her hand up their bedroom, she knew she was using sex to hide from the issue. And this made the act, no matter how amazing it felt, feel wrong.

Later that night as Bayley lay breathing softly in deep sleep beside her, Sasha was sitting on the edge of the bed staring out the windows. The moon was enormous tonight but Sasha barely noticed as she held her head in her hands.

What was she going to do?

\----------

AJ Styles whistled softly to get Bayley’s attention.

“Earth to Martinez, hello?” 

“What? Sorry, AJ, I was just...thinking…” Bayley said. She and Styles were sitting in a Korean restaurant where they’d been having lunch. They’d come here to celebrate.

Bayley had just killed it at her first screen test with ESPN. Everyone from the show’s camera staff up to the two network execs who had sat in were raving. Bayley still had two more screen tests to go, but as of now things looked great. If she didn’t do anything disastrous she could be hosting her own TV show in a few week's time. She should have been ecstatic. 

But she was just distracted. 

She’d received a text from Sasha earlier that day. It was the kind of text anyone would love to receive from their girlfriend. Sasha had informed her that she was going to take Bayley out to _ ‘Edgone’ _, one of the most exclusive restaurants in LA. Yet another grand romantic gesture that Bayley should have been overjoyed about. Yet she couldn’t summon the feelings, she just worried. Worried that anyone who wasn’t capable of being truly and fully grateful to Sasha for all the effort she was putting in simply didn’t deserve them.

“Yeah, I got that...care to share?” AJ asked. His face wore an expression of fatherly concern, which actually made Bayley feel worse. Today’s screen test had been as much a victory for him as it had for Bayley. AJ had stuck his neck out pretty far just to make it happen, had Bayley flamed out it would likely have meant his job. He should be celebrating, and Bayley was making that impossible.

Bayley sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, AJ, I really appreciate everything you’ve been doing for me. I wouldn’t be here with you and I want you to know I am grateful.”

“I appreciate that, but it still doesn’t tell me why you’re looking like a lost puppy,” AJ answered.

“I…” Bayley sighed again “...OK...you’re married. Have you ever...have you ever felt like your wife was being TOO nice to you?”

AJ chuckled at this. “When you’ve been married as long as I have moments like that don’t come as often as they used to. But yeah I can kinda get it. More often I’m wondering how I possible lucked into being with a woman as amazing as Wendy.”

Bayley nodded her head enthusiastically. “Yeah, it’s…” she hesitated but then explained her current situation to her boss, friend, and mentor. Styles sat listening in silence until Bayley talked herself out.

“Well first, oh poor you having to get treated like a princess…” he said with a wry smile. Bayley returned the expression, the teasing actually helped pull her out of the spiral she’d been sinking into. “I don’t have any magic bullet for you Martinez, but I can give you the best general relationship advice there is,” AJ added. 

Bayley raised her eyebrows expectantly, eagerly even.

“Talk to your girlfriend.”

\----------

“Well shit, you ain’t never taken me anywhere that nice,” Meng said before he took another bite of what Sasha suspected was a gas station sandwich.

“That’s because you never want to go anywhere that doesn’t offer both hot wings and lap dances,” Sasha shot back. She and her trainer were sitting on the gate of his pickup in the parking lot in front of his gym. The place looked as rundown as ever, but now Sasha knew this was by choice given the amount of money he’d made as her trainer.

“Yeah, because you ain’t interested in either of those things,” Meng muttered before taking another bite.

“Why do you eat that shit? And why don’t you clean this place up a bit? You got money,” Sasha asked. She was eating a protein bar.

“First, I’m old. I’m past giving a shit what I eat. Second, why should I? This place is real, it’s got some character.”

“It’s a shit hole,” Sasha countered.

“Yeah, because the woman who wears sunglasses that say ‘boss’ on them is the arbiter of good taste,” Meng shot back.

“Fuck you,” Sasha muttered.

“Oh, brilliant comeback, you pick that up at some ‘non-shithole’ place?”

Sasha stewed angrily for a few moments but settled on taking another bite of her protein bar. Despite their words, both Sasha and Meng were actually having a pretty good time. They enjoyed each other’s company and delighted in knocking sparks off each other. 

“Make sure and eat a lot when you go out with Martinez later, you need the meat on your bones,” Meng finally commented. Sasha made a face at this but didn’t comment. Meng was talking about her plan to bulk up a bit in an effort to go up a weight class. If all went to plan she would soon be competing in the featherweight class. 

This would mean that there wouldn’t be a third fight between herself and Lynch, but she felt she had to. As much as she desperately wanted to get her revenge on the Irish woman, and she had no doubt she would win the rubber match, she couldn’t. She’d seen how hard it had been for Bayley to watch her face Lynch, one of her best friends. And she had no desire to put her girlfriend through that again. 

Particularly since she couldn’t afford to do anything that might jeopardize her relationship with Bayley. A relationship she was still convinced she was screwing up.

“Or if you’re too chicken shit to talk to Martinez about whatever you’ve been sighing about all day, you can come to bingo with me,” Meng added as an afterthought. As he said this he jerked his head towards the bingo hall at the far end of the strip mall where his gym was located. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Sasha demanded too quickly and too defensively. 

“Look, you might think you’re the slickest bitch on the planet but you ain’t. And you can damn well bet if I picked up on it then that little reporter of yours has noticed it too,” Meng said bluntly.

“I...screw you…” Sasha muttered, lamely. Meng didn’t respond beyond raising an eyebrow and, after a minute, Sasha told her trainer what was on her mind. Meng listened as he ate but he didn’t look up as he responded.

“You’re a fucking moron sometimes, Banks.”

Sasha recoiled at this reaction. But her temper took over quickly and she snapped: “Could you be a fucking human being for once?”

“Could you?” Meng said instantly.

“What does that mean?” she demanded as her trainer stood and wiped the crumbs off his chest.

“Talk to your woman, Banks. Don’t be a dumbass or you’ll end up at bingo night with me,” he answered as she headed back toward the gym doors. “Not that it’s so terrible, the little gal who owns the place, Gema? She makes paella on Thursdays, sells it cheap.”

Sasha shuddered. “I wouldn’t eat anything, much less seafood, that came out of that place,” she called after him.

“Don’t be a dumbass,” was the only response she got before the gym doors closed. This left Sasha alone and sulking.

“Oh yeah? Well...you eat gas station sandwiches!” she told the doors.

\----------

Bayley was home long before Sasha that day. In fact, Sasha didn’t get home until well after she was supposed to. Late enough that Bayley had already made sure to change into a black dress appropriate for a place as fancy as _ Edgone _. She was inspecting herself in the mirror when she heard Sasha’s voice from elsewhere in the house.

“Bay?”

“I’m here, Sash!” Bayley called back as she picked up the shoes she intended to wear and padded out of their bedroom and downstairs to the foyer. There she was met by Sasha who was still clad in her workout gear. “You better get ready, we’re gonna be late if you don’t change now,” Bayley said.

“I...uh...can we talk?” Sasha asked. She was rubbing the back of her neck in a way that she knew made her look like an idiot.

“Sure, is everything OK?” Bayley asked, all her insecurities rising up in a phalanx of anxiety within her. Had Sasha figured it out? What would she say? Was Sasha breaking up with her?!

Sasha could see a whole slew of emotions roiling beneath Bayley’s expression of forced cheer. This made her heartache because she knew she was the cause of it. But she also knew that she wasn’t doing the reporter any favors by pussyfooting around the issues. Meng was right, she needed to say this.

She realized then that she’d been staring at Bayley in silence the whole time she’d been thinking. “Sash...you’re starting to worry me,” Bayley said, genuine concern now on her face.

“I love you!” Sasha blurted. Then she blinked, no that wasn’t right. Well, it was, but it wasn’t what she’d meant to say. Apparently, Bayley was at least as confused as Sasha felt.

“Ah...I love you too?”

Sasha kicked herself inwardly, why was this so difficult? She fought for a living!

“I mean…” she said and then grunted in frustration as she opened and closed her hands “...I mean I love you. I do and...I’ve been so worried lately.”

Bayley had been expecting the worst so this came as a surprise. Still, her own deeply rooted instincts took over and she led Sasha over to a couch where they both sat as Bayley rubbed her girlfriend’s arm. “Worried about what?” she asked gently.

Sasha’s head drooped at the question, her hair hiding her face. Then there was a long pause that left Bayley squirming inwardly. “I’m worried…” Sasha started and then faltered before trying again “...I’m worried I’m not good enough for you.”

This hit Bayley so hard that she physically rocked back a bit. “What?” she asked, thunderstruck.

“I...I’m worried that I don’t deserve you.”

“Where is this coming from?” Bayley asked.

“Bayley...you’re...you’re kind of perfect. You’re kind, caring, principled, forgiving, and so much that I’m not. Hell, I’m the asshole who tried to punish you for being those things-” Sasha began.

“It’s in the past, Sasha-” Bayley started to say but Sasha held up a hand.

“No, no...I mean...yes I promise I’m not that person anymore but...I still did those things. And now...you’ve been so great I’ve been trying so hard to treat you like you deserve and I’m already running out of steam!”

“Sasha-”

“NO!...” Sasha shot to her feet and began to pace “...No, don’t tell me it’s OK. It’s not! How can I already be out of ways to show you how special you are after only a week? One week! Who can’t think of ways to show her love to her girlfriend after one fucking week!”

“Sasha-”

“I’m so sorry Bayley, I know I don’t deserve you. But I’m really trying! I swear! I...I...I’ll figure it out, I promise! Just please don’t go.”

_ CRACK! _

The sound of Bayley’s hand colliding with Sasha’s cheek echoed in the room. Sasha’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates as her hand automatically touched the spot where Bayley had slapped her.

“Can I talk now?” Bayley asked, staring directly into Sasha’s eyes. When she got a silent nod, she took a deep breath. 

“NEVER...EVER...suggest that I need fancy dinners and shows to love you.”

“I-”

“No, stop spiraling for a moment and just listen,” Bayley said firmly. She waited for Sasha to sit down before kneeling in front of her and taking her girlfriend’s hands. “Sasha, I’m not some award that you earn. I’m here, with you, because I choose to be. There isn’t anywhere else I want to be.”

  
Sasha just nodded dumbly at this but didn’t show any signs of wanting to interrupt.

“Is that why you’ve been doing all these crazy romantic things every night? Because you thought you had to prove something to me?” Bayley asked gently as she reached a hand out to brush Sasha’s face. She got another nod in response to this.

“Sasha…” Bayley said with exasperation and love mixing equally in her tone “...If I thought you were still the person you once were, I wouldn’t have ever agreed to get back with you. I don’t need you to prove it. And..if I’m being honest...I owe you an apology too.”

“What?” Sasha asked, befuddled. What did Bayley have to apologize for?

The reporter sighed as she kept caressing Sasha’s face. Automatically, Sasha closed her eyes and leaned into the contact but she was listening with all her might as Bayley started to speak again. “I..I haven’t been all here since I moved in. It’s not your fault, it’s mine.”

“What do you mean?” Sasha asked, dreading what answer she might get even as she clutched Bayley’s hand in both of hers.

“I’ve been feeling, I don’t know, like...like there’s something wrong with me. You’ve been being the perfect girlfriend this last week. You’ve been spoiling me rotten, attentive, everything you weren’t before. But I’ve still felt like I was just...a visitor here.”

Sasha started to shake her head but Bayley stopped her with a look.

“I know this is going to sound insane. But...you know I worked really hard on MMAyley, I feel like I can say I earned everything I have as an adult. But now, moving into your big house and getting treated like royalty, it just felt like I was being given things without working for them.”

  
Admitting this was very hard, yet Bayley almost instantly felt better just for saying it out loud.

“Bayley, I don’t...I’m sorry,” was all Sasha could manage.

“Don’t be, this isn’t something you did wrong. It’s my issue. I guess the gifts and dinners have just been making me feel more guilty for not fully appreciating you. Like, how petty am I that I’m worried about something like this when here you are being perfect.”

“I’m not perfect,” Sasha said, as she let out a wet laugh.

“Well, neither am I,” Bayley said matching her tone. She pulled Sasha into a hug that seemed to have magical powers. The tension and anxiety she’d been feeling that day seeming to melt away as she held Sasha in her arms. “Can we just promise to talk about this stuff when it starts bugging us in the future, rather than waiting?” she whispered into Sasha’s ear.

“Deal,” Sasha whispered back. 

They held each other for a long time, neither wanting to be the one to break the contact. But eventually, Bayley asked: “Do we have to go out tonight?” Sasha just shook her head slowly as she scooted to one side and made room for Bayley on the couch. There Bayley lay in Sasha’s arms for the rest of the night. They talked a little but mostly they were just there together until Bayley broke the silence again.

“I love you, Sasha Banks.”

“I know.”

Bayley lifted her head off Sasha’s chest in response to this, an expression of delighted wonderment on her face. “Was that you quoting Empire?”

Sasha just nodded and then felt her heart melt as a grin spread across Bayley’s face.

“Well, I was excited to get out of this dress already but now I think you need to help,” Bayley said as she stood.

A little after midnight, Bayley rolled over to run her fingertips lightly down Sasha’s back. The room was dark but she felt sure Sasha could tell that she was smiling softly.

“Should we try this again?”

She heard the sound of Sasha nodding against the bedsheets.

“I love you, Sasha Banks.”

“I love you, Bayley Martinez.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ask and ye shall receive, my friends! 
> 
> You all wanted more Perseverance content, well, here you are! Could there be more on the way? Who knows?! *wink wink*
> 
> Make sure to keep an eye on the Perseverance-verse!
> 
> Don't forget to comment below!


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